Otto Winter, 5, joining in a Lego altercation about a motorbike at legoland in Billund, Denmark. Picture: AAP Image-Oona Nielssen Source: National Features

A European city waterfront made of lego at Legoland in Billund, Denmark. Picture: AAP Image-Oona Nielssen Source: National Features

HALF a decade ago, I overheard a flippant remark my wife Bridget made to my then five-year-old son Liam: "When you turn 10 we'll take you to Legoland in Denmark."

I was a little surprised at the grandiose nature of the statement but we've all been guilty of over-promising to our children in order to encourage better behaviour, so I didn't think too much more of it.

Imagine my surprise then when we decided to plan a European getaway - on which Italy was top of my list - to discover our itinerary simply had to revolve around a visit to Denmark.

"Why Denmark?" I asked. Had I somehow forgotten we were related to Princess Mary? I don't remember getting an invite to the wedding.

"Because Legoland is in Denmark, silly," came the reply, in a tone that suggested there had been a family meeting once a week for the past five years that I'd missed.

How had this throwaway line five years ago manifested itself into a concrete promise?

As a kid, I must have asked Mum and Dad to take us to Disneyland a thousand times, to which Dad would reply "one day, son".

He was right. One day I did get to Disneyland - as a 25-year-old on a work junket. Thanks, Dad.

One thing I couldn't deny was my eldest son Liam's complete dedication and unwavering passion for those tiny multicoloured building blocks.

He wrote to Lego HQ in Denmark a couple of years ago asking what he would need to do to one day work for Lego. They returned his email the next morning, giving him genuine and considered advice as to how to achieve his dream. Who was I to stand in the way of my kid's dreams?

Brij also had a hidden Danish agenda: She had a cousin she hadn't seen for a while in the country town of Odder, and she had also become a little smitten with Danish design.

Great, not only will we be coming home with a truck-load of Lego for me to step on barefoot in the middle of the night, we'll also be shipping home some high-functioning, aesthetically pleasing furniture.

It seemed I was the only one in my family without a Danish obsession. I started to feel I'd better develop a taste for Carlsberg or get my Hans Christian Andersen on quick smart.

In the lead-up to our Legoland adventure, to say our three boys were excited would be like saying One Direction fans were "keenly awaiting their concert". The morning before was akin to Christmas morning.

If a modern-day Dr Frankenstein had offered Liam, Aidan and Oscar the chance to have their human heads replaced with a yellow plastic one with painted-on faces, I would've been left with three boys with clip-on hair.First things first. The Legoland Hotel is a touch on the pricey side.

Later in our travels, we would stay in a large apartment overlooking the Main Market Square in the Polish city of Krakow, a three-bedroom apartment with a rooftop terrace in Prague (Czech Republic), and similar places in Germany (Berlin), Hungary (Budapest) and Austria (Vienna).

Legoland was the most expensive by a significant amount.

The rooms are pretty basic. There are nice little Lego touches, such as Lego-patterned carpet and doona covers. The boys were thrilled to discover a small Lego gift for each of them.

There was nothing for the parents, which made my decision to swipe the Legoland bottle opener from the mini bar a little easier on the conscience.With all that said, the key to the Legoland Hotel, the secret to its sheer awesomeness, is this: The kids rule the roost.

To some, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. Anyone with kids has been in a situation where they've played up at a restaurant or cafe. You begin to feel like someone just jacked up the heater six notches.

At Legoland, kids are encouraged to be kids. Free to run around and explore. Around every corner are giant tubs full of Lego bits just waiting for a child's creativity and imagination to bring them to life.

The foyer hosts a giant, green, fire-breathing dragon (made of Lego, of course) and Darth Vader lingers ominously. I have never been so relaxed with so many kids, including mine, running amok around me, and I'm pretty sure I'll never experience that feeling ever again.

The Legoland theme park itself does not disappoint. We visited in autumn and got a pleasantly crisp, sunny day. Liam and Aidan displayed an ability to adapt to European driving conditions by obtaining their Lego licence at Lego traffic school, and little Oscar journeyed around on the Lego train wide-eyed and happy.

At lunch the crusty and overpriced chips were a hit because they were Lego chips - that's right, shaped like Lego. We all marvel at the detail of the Star Wars Lego displays - in particular, the Mos Eisley Cantina scene with Han Solo seconds from blasting Greedo away.

As much as Legoland primarily caters for the kids, there are also enough thrills for the adults. We got lucky with the new marquee ride the Polar X-plorer opening only days before we arrived.

Hmm, nothing beats that new theme-park-ride smell. It's a fast, smooth roller-coaster ride that passes real penguins and finishes with a drop which, like most rides, teases you more in the anticipation than scares with the drop itself. With that said, I screamed like a little girl and I am grateful my boys have either forgotten or are too embarrassed to mention it.

Possibly the best thing about Legoland - and this may have to do with the timing of our visit - is the short queues. The longest we waited to get on a ride was 10 minutes. Countless times we jumped off a ride and ran back to the entrance and got back on almost immediately. It's no Disneyland, where queues are so long you're unsure if people are waiting for dodgem cars or Superbowl tickets.

One piece of advice - leave the gift shop until the end of the day. Once the boys spotted it, wild Lego horses couldn't have kept them from galloping in. We wasted an hour in there with most of the Lego available in Australia or soon to be released.

So it's true, while my Italian dream of wine and pasta in Cinque Terre is still alive in my mind - where most parents' dreams reside - Legoland won me over. The look of unadulterated exhilaration as Liam ran through the gates, Aidan's unflinching glee after surviving the Polar X-plorer, Oscar's amazement that he didn't get in trouble for self-serving himself more ice cream than he could possibly eat - yep, it was all completely worth it.

Now I'm off to promise Liam we'll take him to Guinness factory when he turns 18.

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- GO2

LEGOLAND

- Getting there

Legoland is in the town of Billund, in southern Denmark. There are bus connections from many cities (xbus.dk) stopping at Legoland.

Billund International Airport is not far from Hotel Legoland, with direct connections to most of Europe and the rest of the world via Copenhagen.

- Doing there

For information on opening times, ticket prices and accommodation at Legoland, see legoland.dk/en

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